Happy Birthday to me! Well not really…

First off, it was my birthday at least two weeks ago (say hello to thirty, whoop) but that’s not what this post is about.

It’s about another birthday. This blog is six years old! I remember the first time I ever blogged about anything. It was on Facebook, in the ‘notes’ section sometime in 2008. I called it Chronicles of the Fairy GodSister and I remember that post was about a Chinese affinity for warm water during and after meals someone had forwarded to me. I didn’t want to forward it on (I’ve never been a fan of mass-forwarded messages), so I decided to flip it a bit.

Interestingly, and I’ve said it before, by the time I registered my first blog on blogspot later that year, I chose ‘Fairy GodSister’ because I wanted to be able to deny it if people didn’t like the things I wrote. Lol. And then when I got tired of the chains that blogspot comes with, it was time to move here. And I did. Six years ago.

Whoop! A lot of things have happened in six years, in my career, school/education, family (my niece and nephew were born, for one), relationships, life and death have happened. And I’m thankful for all the experiences and lessons I’ve learned along the way.

I’m also thankful for people who have read this blog, who have come to know me because of this blog. I remember one time someone took a few weeks and read EVERY single thing I ever published here. How did I know she read? She commented on all of them. Yep. At the time I had over 280 pieces. And she read them all. Gotta be thankful for people like that, and everyone else who either joined along the way, or has been a fan from jump.

I’m also thankful for the folks who have lent their voices and stories to my #31Days31Writers series, the ones who have opened up themselves and their businesses/enterprises to be interviewed, the ones who have trusted me to tell their stories. Thank you.

To the ones who would message me when for one reason or the other I didn’t write as often as they expected, thank you for checking on me, and ensuring in your own way that dust didn’t gather (too much) on the url. Lol.

Happy birthday to The Fairy GodSister. Here’s to many more years of writing, of sharing, of chronicling.

Social Media: how much have our lives changed?

My best definition of social media is people on the left, people on the right, and technology in the middle. It is the democratization of information and content, the convenience and equal opportunity to share and connect with others, and the fulfillment of “the world is a global village” prophecy.

For some, social media is a magic wand to be wielded as they please, whether positively or negatively. It is at the heart of discussions around the world, from boardrooms to houses of parliament, marketplaces to bedrooms. It is alternate reality for some, and a mask to hide behind to perpetuate falsehood, bully, or exact vengeance against others.

Social media is many things, and does many things for many people. It is the voice of the common man, the route to recourse for offended customers and the immediate audience for the citizen journalist. Depending on where you are, local and international case studies abound of people deploying their networks to bring about a desired action or reaction. Social capital has a new field of play, and the rise and rise of influencers is ignored at the peril of the social media manager or strategist.

Credit: hr-gazette.com

In Nigeria, the advent of social media broke and is still breaking many ceilings as far as communication across board is concerned but especially as it affects power. As a people we’re traditionally wired to follow or submit to constituted authority, whether in the home, in our communities, at school, at work or via our various religions; our embracing digital however disrupted all of that. The proliferation of media has provided access to global thinking, cultures, new streams of thought on the one hand, and courage for expression of existing streams of thought on the other. Questions have arisen where people weren’t questioning actions or inactions before, and those already questioning became equipped to be even louder and more visible with these questions. We are tasking government and public officials in a manner that was simply unthinkable before.

Love, relationships, and marriages have also had their share of disruption thanks to an audience constantly in need of a good ‘awww-worthy’ moment. Public displays of affection are no longer public enough if they’re not broadcast to friends, family, enemies, and complete strangers. We’re here for those moments though, egging on lovers to push the boundaries of rationality in expressing just how much they love their partner.

On the flip side, the pressure to claim that significant other and shield them from potential competitors or replacements is real, and there are studies that say social media has bred a new level of paranoia and mistrust in relationships. From sliding into private messages (also known as Direct Messages on Twitter and Instagram), to the curse of the misinterpreted emoji left as a comment, to spats that end in publishing nudes that were exchanged in times of peace, even to pedophiles grooming and then abusing teenagers (and thankfully getting their comeuppance), there’s just as much evil as there’s good online.

A little while ago, poverty porn was an issue, with international organizations attempting to clutch at our hearts (and purse) strings by depicting suffering across Africa. I was always embarrassed to watch those calls for help, especially when there would be three in a row (in whatever order); one to raise money to provide water for an African child, another to adopt a pet tiger, and another to stop cruelty to dogs. I was never comfortable with them, probably will never be.

Say hello however to Poverty Porn 2:0, the new version enabled by social media. We are in the age of philanthropy that must be broadcast to the world. And so without recourse to the dignity of the human beings in question (adults and children alike), people feel it is acceptable to film and broadcast their acts of charity. It is arguable that the publications inspire others to do good but is that really why we do it?

What is social media to you? How has it changed your life from the first social network you subscribed to?

Of grace, patience, and buckets of God’s mercies!

Welcome to November! Whoop! Like play, like play, we’ve come to my favorite part of each year, Christmas! Whoop! Even though technically we’re still like 40 days from it, I’m still excited!

Anyway, a bit about the last week of October and the things I got up to –this last week was super interesting, with lots of mixed feelings/emotions. Start from Monday, and of course I had meetings to attend, and general business to take care of. Met up with my mentor/principal, and spent the evening at an event with him and a few others. Good fun, even though I wished it ended at least 30 minutes earlier than it did.

Tuesday I did quite a bit of reading, prepping for classes I would teach on Wednesday and Thursday. See, I’d been invited by Gatefield Learning to facilitate at training for Nonprofits. Of course it had to do with social media, would I have been teaching them aeronautics or neurology? Ha ha ha. Great things in the offing with Gatefield, and I’m looking forward to a consolidation of that working relationship.

On the first day I taught the basics and history of social media, auditing the social media for their organizations and personal vs corporate communication via social. And on the second day, I took the class through a bit about mobilization via digital, focusing on ingredients for a successful campaign.

So, Wednesday morning, bright and early, JT and I pushed off to the venue of the training, and after standing (and talking) for two hours, I had a bit of lunch, watched a bit of Scandal (more like I binged on 3 episodes at once), and then I went home. I can testify to being marvelously helped, and I was on a high, ready for day two!

Second day my class started at noon so I didn’t have to run out of my house early in the day but if you know me well, you’ll know I still ran. Lol. Got there, delivered my presentation, and had to leave immediately cos I had other things to do. On the way I chatted with a lady, fresh from university and she told me she was always scared of networking, the thought of meeting new people always terrified her cos she was scared of getting snubbed. It was nice to encourage her and tell her of the benefits these meetings offer.

Then, I went off to a 3pm meeting that didn’t start at 3pm because the person wanted to ‘quickly dash somewhere’. Meeting eventually started at 3.45pm, good thing was it was super fruitful. Couldn’t be more pleased.

Dropped a colleague off about 6.27pm, and then I was battling within myself whether to take JT to be bathed and primed, or to buy Indian takeout for dinner with the fam. Somehow the car wash won over the Indian and I went to give JT a good bath at one of my favorite shops in Wuse 2. Did I mention that for some reason, JT who would go from 0-80 in seconds was having trouble picking speed? I felt like it was God getting me to go slower so I didn’t bother.

I drive into the car wash and the attendant motioned frantically for me to get out of the car. I grabbed my laptop (sigh) and jumped out. Apparently, JT was smoking and my royal majesty didn’t notice!

According to them, I was a few minutes from a ‘knocked engine’ or even worse because the temperature dial of the car was hitting the red notes! My dear, the realization of how bad things could have gone pissed me off and made me super grateful at the same time.

After I gave the car dealer an earful, I rang Ace who dispatched a driver to rescue my now shaking self. Where would we be without friends who give life to being literally ‘a call away’?

Anyway, so the next day they fixed whatever upset JT and made her overheat and all of that unpleasantness. And I still grabbed my Indian that night.

I’m just super grateful for the mercies of God that kept me safe and directed my wheels to the car wash over the Indian restaurant (considering that I love food). So grateful.

 

*Written in November 2014

What Christmas 2013 was like…

December 25th 2013 – one Christmas I will never, never, ever forget. For starters, it wasn’t exactly the ‘white Christmas’ I had planned because it rained rather than the romantic snow I was expecting.

Just as well that it didn’t snow though, because there wasn’t any romance to be had either. Due to circumstances beyond my control (also known as not in any way directly orchestrated by me, lol), I became single two days to Christmas. Not like my partner would have been with me on Christmas Day anyway.

Good thing was I had spent the greater part of the 23rd and the 24th cussing myself out for not going to Nigeria and spending the holidays with my family (not an orphan remember) but hey, we live, we love, we learn. So, by the 25th I was spent, and determined to have a day devoid of self-pity, regret, or any form of sadness.

So, what did I do on the day? I woke by 5am, spoke to a friend like 40 minutes after, and we must have talked for an hour or so (thank you so much). Then I watched ‘Eve’, a sitcom my niece introduced me to on YouTube before she left for Nigeria. Hilarious!

Then I downloaded a few songs (Solid Star’s ‘Oluchi’, Flavour’s ‘Ada Ada’, Labirinth’s ‘Express Yourself’, Maverick Sabre’s ‘I need’, and Dr Sid’s ‘Surulere’). And I worked up a sweat dancing to them. Whoop!

What else did I do? Yeah, I spoke to my sister, brother-in-law, and the highlight of my day? BooBoo telling me ‘eeeyah’ (the sound he makes when he gives one of his many, many hugs). Plus he kissed the phone when I said to ‘give aunty kiss kiss’, and I felt it from here! Warm fuzzies!

I spoke to my folks, chatted with my darling brother, watched a bit more of ‘Eve’ and then I must have dozed off. I woke up about noon, had some cereal, did my laundry (thank you Lord, lol), did quite a bit of writing and responding to emails, and then about 6.30pm I went downstairs again to have my Christmas dinner. I had beans, plantain, and turkey, and then I had a lovely chocolate cheesecake for dessert! Yum! #TeamFood

I watched episodes of Hustle, renewed my crush for Adrian Lester, finally caught up on recorded episodes of X Factor USA (is it me or does that show need a complete overhaul both in England and in the US), and after a bit more writing, my day was over.

I was changed and in bed by 12.10am. And I slept very well.

Thank you Jesus.

P:S – Written @5am on the 26th of December 2013. I wonder what Christmas next year will bring?

#31Days31Writers: Berry’s super proud of her locks, and I’m super jealous!

Berry’s been my friend from university… dunno if we used to talk everyday like that sha, but since we’ve been through, everyone’s grown up a bit more, and she’s one of the strongest supporters of my writing and this blog, and I’m so grateful for her! Berry’s gorgeous, and when she said she wouldn’t be able to write in at first, my heart sank.

Minutes later she said she would, and was actually one of the first to send in her entry! Super girl! Can I use this medium to thank you for every comment, ever like, every tweet? I notice, and I appreciate you from the depth of my heart! What I can’t really fathom is why we haven’t met up till now! We must remedy that biko, and soonest!

Enjoy Berry’s piece!  

My name is CHIDIEBERE NWEZE. This sounds funny because a lot of people didn’t know prior to this time. My friends in secondary school ‘nicknamed’ me “Berry” and it took over my real name. Even my parents call me “Berry” now. *I digress**. I’m Nigerian (obviously).

This year has been rather fast (if you asked me). ‘Yesterday’ was Christmas and we are in June already. Too too fast. Plus, it doesn’t help that it means I’m getting old fast(er) too. *Hiss*** Anyway, it’s been an amazing year, nevertheless. I travel a lot (not as much as the FGS does sha) and this is a year I get to make a lot of trips (both Local and International). Amazing!

I’m most grateful for LIFE, family, friends and ‘Le beau’. Talking about family, my siblings and I are very closely knit and I keep praying to God that the bond only gets stronger. Just very recently, my younger sister sent me an sms that read: “Berry, did you forget me?” just because I didn’t speak to her in two days. That to me was PRICELESS! My beau on the other hand, has been very wonderful. God delivered me from a very nasty relationship and put me in this one. So, those and more are stuff I’m most grateful for.

What am I looking forward to in the second half of the year? Em, A LOT! A better me, a better relationship with God, better opportunities and an amazing end to the year.

Thanks FGS for giving me this platform/opportunity. You’re welcome boo!

PS: I had my hair locked this year (June precisely). I’m so loving it. So, I’m #TeamNatural now, baby!

Berry’s super gorgeous too! What do I have to do to get this dress?

Two minutes… and a super talented drummer!

So at the Hope XXL Triple A Summit we were asked to write short speeches we could present if we had two minutes to address the world. The speeches would be recorded and uploaded to YouTube. Now, I don’t know if they’ve been uploaded but here’s what I wrote.

If I had two minutes to address the world I would say

• Stop, think – a lot of the evils we perpetuate against each other (wars, violence, intolerance) would be no more if we thought a bit more

I would say

• Listen, learn – our universe speaks new things to us daily, if only we seek its knowledge.

I would say

• Live, learn – long as our lives may be, it is more about the life and love in our lives than the length of the life.

I would say

• Help, hope – the existence of a new star does not diminish the brightness or shining of the others.

I would say

• Care, share – our earth is on loan to us from our grandchildren and it is uncharitable not to repay a loan, or to do so with damaged goods

If I could address the world for two minutes I would use one. I would ask every one to use the second minute to look the next man in the eye, recognize the beauty and positivity in them, and bow to it. Namaste!

Cheesy right? I love it! (If I don’t love it, who will? Apart from you, who I know loves me to bits:))!

Now, back in London after the conference, I went to Westfield Shopping Mall around Shepherd’s Bush and amongst other things I got up to, I had dinner. Want to see?

Lebanese… I don’t remember what it was called on the menu but the fish was fab!!! I’m eating a lot more clean proteins these days by the way, lifestyle changes over fad diets babay!

 

Now, on the way home I heard music, like really fabulous drumming coming from something that sounded like pots and pans. So we went to see. I had to make a video! Matter of fact, I made two; the guy was so good!

And then I couldn’t stop watching so I made another one!

That’s it about this post, I really had to share this video, and I hope you like it as much as I did!

There must be something about drums and me; I have another blogpost with a video of young boys playing drums too, this time made out of milk tins!

What is that super cool thing about you? Tell us about it!

#PRAISEwithCC! This is why we’re here…

I’m so excited!

When I was younger and living full-time with my folks, I would join church members to go out on soul winning drives, invite people to church, witness to them, that kind of thing. I loved it, looked forward to each and every one of those outreaches, and have tons of stories.

A lot older now, many times I’ve wondered how to keep that evangelism up, how to share my love and affection for God with people, more people than I did as a child. I just feel like there’s so much more I can do to bring people together to rejoice in Him and to share His Word.

And then on Sunday morning, I was listening to a message by Bishop TD Jakes and he said something about us Christians asking God to do things He had already empowered us to do – so we ask God to help us with things He has already released strength for us to do on our own, wherever we are. And in that moment, I just knew that I wanted to start something about sharing His word.

So I started thinking, wondering how I was going to do this from my little corner. And then boom! #PraisewithCC came into my head. Whoop!

What is this about? Very simply, we’ll just praise. Praise, praise, praise Him for 30 minutes on Wednesday, and Friday. We’ll do this wherever we are, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, wherever. I’m using the place where I’ve been called to make a difference, where I am most comfortable, to do what I was created to do.

Who’s in? Join me at 7pm on Wednesday, and 7pm on Friday. Let’s return glory to God for what we’ve seen, for what we’re seeing, and for what we want to see this year. What are you grateful for?

#PraisewithCC!!

P:S – I want to be able to curate as we praise, so please use the hashtag #PraisewithCC. I know that as we lift Him up, tell of His wondrous works, He will lift us up.

I’m so excited!

 

 

Rev E.A Adeboye on “Overcoming mountains”

Keeping up with my goal this year to cram knowledge (spiritual/intellectual) into my times on my computer as much as I can, I’ve rediscovered YouTube. It’s become like a church to me now, and I can attend services from Lagos to Dallas, to Hong Kong!

A few days ago, I felt like I needed to listen to Rev. E.A Adeboye (or Daddy G.O like a lot of people call him), and so, off to YouTube I went. The text below is my note from a sermon he preached titled, ‘overcoming mountains’. It blessed me, and I thought I would share!

Bibles, pens and notepads out, and may God bless His word in our hearts! Amen.

He started by saying, “A mountain is a hindrance to my progress, an obstruction, anything standing between me and actualization of my destiny”.

Big and negative-looking as they may be, mountains can be positive/used by God for many other reasons.

1. To advertise/showcase His children. Remember David and Goliath?

2. To wake us up from our slumber and draw us closer. Acts 12.1

3. To develop our spiritual muscles. Joseph morphed from dreamer to interpreter of dreamers in prison.

4. To expose our inner potential. Phillip discovered he was an evangelist after Stephen was killed and he fled to Samaria.

5. To lay the foundation for great testimonies. Think Lazarus, the Shunammite woman, the widow of Nain, list is endless.

*A mountain gives the assurance that there is something great/precious on the other side, and we will never know the extent of the deposits God has put inside us till problems/challenges come.

The size of the mountain facing us is directly proportional to our destinies. Numbers 19: 26 – 33. Heavy weight champions for God face heavy weight mountains, while baby Christians face little challenges, to ‘exercise their faith’.

Seven ways we can deal with mountains (you decide which one you want to use)

1. Turn back. Numbers 14: 1-4, Hebrews 10:38

2. Wasted effort, but walk around the mountain. Exodus 14:15

3. Climb it. This is energy-intensive but better than 1 and 2. Numbers 13:30. 1 Samuel 17: 51

4. Bore a hole/dig a tunnel through it. Note than the mountain still exists but somehow you can make it through. Exodus 14: 21-28

5. Blast it out-of-the-way. God reduced the wall of Jericho to rubble. Joshua 6:20

6. Mark 11:22-23. Relocate it somewhere else. All I need for this is my faith in God, and my declarations.

7. Fly over it! Whoop! “Those that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles…”

Note, my darlings that if you are not born again, nothing for you. Without a relationship with Jesus, if you try to move any mountain, they will laugh in your face because they don’t know you. Remember the sons of Sceva in Acts 19:11-17?

Note also that some mountains exist because we have put them there. We can by our own hands, place obstacles in our paths by the things we do.

Then Daddy Adeboye asked everyone to pray but for some reason, whoever was filming stopped then. SMH. So, I searched for a prayer service and joined in! Some of these prophecies stood out for me and I just thought I’d share them with you…

No matter the darkness around you this year, your light will shine bright

The Lord will speak peace to every storm in your life

The reasons for your stagnation will be revealed, addressed, and eliminated

This is our year of completeness (in many sense of the word)

Did you say amen? I did!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

 

Got to drum (an amazing short clip you should see)

I love street performances. Always have loved them. I’m like a little child whenever I watch them, and I never want to know how the tricks are done. Just keep doing them!

When I saw the caption for the video, an attack on social media junkies who “won’t carry this video”, I almost didn’t look at it.

But before I shut the page, I saw the Peak milk tins, and that held my attention. So I clicked play. Say hello to lovely music, reminiscent of my years living in Aba, Abia State. The little boy went from high-life, to calypso, and then to ‘Ariaria’ and I nearly got up from my bed to dance! Blame my duvet for strapping me to the bed and refusing to let go! Lol…

I don’t know what excited me more, the passion and concentration I could see on the boy’s face, the creativity and ingenuity that manifested as his drum set, the hours he had to have put into rehearsing, the fact that he was getting some attention (and some money as well), or the simple truth about the music being really good!

I don’t know who the boy is, and there were about 12, 000 shares of this video on Facebook so I don’t even want to think of finding him that way, but I knew I had to share!

Did you like it? Of course you did! Say thank you….